The Reds will be desperate to avoid a seventh league defeat in a row when they travel to Coventry on Tuesday night.
The Reds’ 2-0 loss at Scunthorpe on Saturday extended the Club’s poor run of form which leaves them sitting in the relegation zone and two points adrift of safety.
Lee Johnson’s side have also now failed to win away in the league since the middle of August but will be desperate to change that record when they take on the Sky Blues.
Tony Mowbray’s outfit will be no pushovers however, with the Midlands-based outfit occupying fourth place in League One following their 3-2 home win against Peterborough at the weekend.
That victory extended the Club’s unbeaten league run to six games and with the Sky Blues yet to taste defeat on home soil at all this season – including five wins and two draws – they will go into the game brimming with confidence.
Barnsley's last win in Coventry came in August 1923 when goals from Joe Halliwell (2) and Brough Fletcher secured a 3-2 victory.
Previous Meetings
The Reds will be looking for their first win at the Ricoh Arena in over 92 years when they travel to the Midlands to face Coventry on Tuesday evening.
Since Barnsley’s 3-2 win at the Ricoh all the way back in August 1923 the Reds have suffered 16 defeats and drawn seven of their 23 matches there.
Despite that poor away record Lee Johnson’s men will be able to draw on inspiration from their more recent clashes with the one-time FA Cup winners on Tuesday night.
Having lost their previous two encounters against the Sky Blues, Barnsley went into last season’s meetings with the West Midlands-based outfit searching for their first in this fixture since October 2011.
Following a 2-2 draw at the Ricoh after Leroy Lita’s equaliser, the Reds finally got the victory they craved in March when on-loan Stoke City forward George Waring netted the only goal of a tightly contested game at Oakwell to hand Johnson’s side their first triumph against the Sky Blues in three-and-a-half years.
Team News
Head coach Lee Johnson remains without several key players as the Reds look to end their disappointing losing streak on Tuesday night.
Conor Hourihane (hamstring), Ryan Williams (groin) and Marley Watkins (ankle) are not ready to return, so Johnson will have to decide whether to go with the same side which lost at Scunthorpe on Saturday or to shuffle his pack ahead of the trip to the Midlands.
If he opts for the latter, strikers Simeon Jackson and Conor Wilkinson will be eager for a chance to show what they can do, while in defence teenager James Bree is pushing for a recall.
For Coventry they could hand a home debut to former England international Joe Cole on Tuesday evening.
The ex-Chelsea and Liverpool man made his Sky Blues bow at Swindon last month but was left out of their win against Peterborough on Saturday due to a slight knock.
Joining Cole in the Coventry line-up could be former Tyke Jim O’Brien, who will be desperate to be included after being named amongst the substitutes against the Posh, while Marcus Tudgay is also chomping at the bit if boss Tony Mowbray decides to rotate against the Reds.
Man in the Middle
Barnsley will hope to continue their 100% record in the company of Michael Bull on Tuesday night. The Reds have met with the referee on just one previous occasion, with the Essex-born official overseeing the Club’s 1-0 win at Scunthorpe back in February.
The Barnsley fans will not welcome the appointment of Bull with too much excitement however, after the official dismissed Reds’ defender Jean –Yves M'voto in that same game at Glanford Park. That red card was one of eight brandished by the referee last term but so far this season he is yet to reach for his back pocket in the four games he has taken charge of.
Bull – who will be assisted by linesmen Mark Griffiths and Peter Gibbons, as well as fourth official Matthew Buonassisi – will not be a popular figure at the Ricoh Arena on Tuesday night; having taken charge of two Coventry defeats in the past.
In January 2014, the Chelmsford-based official watched over the Sky Blues as they went down to a 2-0 loss at Leyton Orient, before taking charge of their 1-0 home defeat against Notts County 10 months later.
Their Star Man
Despite never having scored a goal for the senior Newcastle United side, Coventry boss Tony Mowbray swooped to clinch the signing of England U19 international Adam Armstrong this summer. The forward – who netted an impressive nine goals in nine games for the England U18 side – joined the Sky Blues on loan until January.
With some claiming that Coventry required a more experienced striker, Armstrong’s arrival came with some doubt however but following 10 goals in his first 13 outings for the Club, the 18-year-old marksman has put those cynics well and truly to bed.
The Newcastle-born forward wasted no time in introducing himself at the Ricoh Arena; netting a brace on his debut against Wigan. Just a week later and Armstrong hit another double, this time in a 4-0 success at Millwall and after he struck again in his side’s 3-2 home win against Crewe three days later, the front man’s name was on the lips of every Coventry supporter.
The diminutive attacker bagged three goals in four games at the end of September to extend his tally for the season to eight and after notching his fourth double of the season on Saturday, Armstrong leads the League One goal scoring charts.
Having clinched the striker’s signature until January, boss Mowbray added veteran front man Marc Antoine Fortune to his strike force in September and with the likes of Joe Cole and Jacob Murphy providing quality from the wide positions, Armstrong is almost certain to add to his tally in the coming weeks.
Mutual Man
In January 2007 Malta international Michael Mifsud arrived in England; penning a two-and-a-half year deal with Coventry City after his contract with Norwegian side Lillestrom came to an end.
Despite making his Sky Blues debut in a 4-2 home defeat to Crystal Palace, the forward netted on his second outing for the Club in a 3-2 loss at Plymouth. Mifsud went onto score another three times in his first half-a-season with the Midlands-based side; one of which came in a 4-1 success at Oakwell.
The former Kaiserslautern front man began his first full Coventry campaign by striking once again against Barnsley in a 4-1 Sky Blues triumph, but this time at the Ricoh Arena. That strike was a sign of things to come for Mifsud, who notched 17 times in the 2007-08 campaign as his new side survived relegation by a point. Despite that fine individual season for the now 34-year-old – which included a brace at Old Trafford in the League Cup – Mifsud could not repeat his heroics in the following campaign; scoring only twice by January.
Struggling for form, the Sky Blues sent the striker on loan to Barnsley in February 2009 where he teamed up with fellow Malta international Daniel Bogdanovic.
After making his Reds bow in a 1-0 win at Sheffield Wednesday, Mifsud bagged his first goal in Barnsley colours in a 1-1 home draw against Birmingham in his fifth outing for the Club. A week later and the attacker netted again, this time in a 3-1 success against Crystal Palace at Oakwell; which was one of four victories picked up by the Tykes during Mifsud’s 15-match stay in South Yorkshire.
Upon his return to the West Midlands, Mifsud was informed that his services were no longer required and he returned to his homeland. Following spells with Valletta and Qormi, the forward spent a year in Australia with Melbourne Heart but in June 2014 he returned to Malta where he signed a deal to return to his first ever Club, Sliema Wanderers.
Form Guide
Coventry’s last five home games (DWWDW)
Coventry City 2-2 Southend United
Coventry City 1-0 Chesterfield
Coventry City 3-0 Shrewsbury Town
Coventry City 0-0 Blackpool
Coventry City 3-2 Peterborough United
Barnsley’s last five away games: (DLWLL)
Blackpool 1-1 Barnsley
Doncaster Rovers 2-1 Barnsley
Bradford City 1-2 Barnsley (Cup)
Southend United 2-1 Barnsley
Scunthorpe United 2-0 Barnsley
Going to the match?
Coventry City play at the Ricoh Arena, its address is as follows:
Ricoh Arena
71 Phoenix Way
Foleshill
Coventry
CV6 6GE
How to get there
By Car:
If travelling from the North, we advise using either the M6 or M1. If using the M1, join the M6 at the Catthorpe Interchange and leave the motorway at Junction 3 before joining the A444 (South). For the M6, exit at Junction 3 and join the A444 (South). Take the A444 towards the city centre and after one mile you will reach the stadium on your left.
Car Parking:
Car Parks A and B are located on-site at the Ricoh Arena and can be accessed via the main entrance on Judds Lane.
Car Park C is located adjacent to the stadium, and can be accessed from the A444.
By Train:
Coventry is on the main line between London and Birmingham. The address for Coventry train station is: Station Square, Eaton Road, Coventry, West Midlands, CV1 2GT.
To get to the stadium using public transport from the train station: Number 8 Bus from Coventry Train Station to Coventry Transport Museum. Then catch the Number 4 or Number 5 from Coventry Transport Museum to Arena Park (Tesco). Once you arrive at Arena Park there is an underpass which takes you into Car Park B of the stadium.
Ticket Information
Tickets for the Reds' upcoming away clash against Coventry City are now on General Sale.
Please note: Prices shown in bold include Coventry City's online discount. The price in brackets is the price paid in store or over the phone. Tickets are priced as follows:
Adult £18.00 (£20.00)
Senior Over 60 £13.00 (£15.00)
Young Adult (16-21) £13.00 (£15.00)
Juvenile Under 16 £6.00 (£7.00)
Online sales for this fixture close at 3pm on Friday 30th October. Tickets will remain on sale through the box office until 12 noon on Tuesday 3rd November, subject to availability.
The official Club Coaches will make the trip to Coventry, departing Oakwell at 4:45pm on the day of the game, priced at £16 per seat.
